AUTOMATON


Meaning of AUTOMATON in English

[ ɔ:'tɒmət(ə)n ]

■ noun ( plural automata -tə or ~s )

1》 a moving mechanical device made in imitation of a human being.

2》 a machine which performs a function according to a set of coded instructions.

Origin

C17: via L. from Gk, neut. of automatos 'acting of itself', from autos 'self'.

Concise Oxford English vocab.      Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка.